Little Cotton Rabbits

singing

My daughter is nothing like me. For a start she can sing, I mean really sing, in a voice that is clear and true and that won her first prize in a talent competition at her junior school a couple of years ago. My voice on the other hand defies description (and not in a good way!) She also is brave enough to stand on a stage a sing solo in front of a large crowd and not just that, but put in an animated, confident performance rather than just standing there. The mere thought of being up on a stage brings me out in a cold sweat!

I have been thinking of her all day today because this morning she was singing solo in front of her whole school house in an assembly and tonight she's back on stage with a group of friends performing a selection of songs from musicals and films. Last thursday she was singing solo in her school talent showcase and between now and Christmas she is on and off stage for various recitals and concerts.

I am so proud of her and I know she'll be mortified but I can't resist sharing a clip of her from when she was little - she's always loved to sing!

 

 

 

Of course now she's a teenager she will make me pay dearly for publishing this clip. It's worth it though!

wristwarmers

So, like I said I have had a bit of an obsession with sock yarn lately and have amassed quite a stash. It was relief to see lots of comments on the previous post from fellow yarn stashers - thanks for all the tips on concealing yarn and justifying stash size to unappreciative partners! Thanks too for all the kind remarks about the misty blanket.

Anyway, I thought I ought to start using some of my sock yarn stash and I felt like making something simple and undemanding - a bit of vanilla knitting as Annie @ Knitsofacto calls it.

I like that I can knit row upon row of these without glancing down, just kind of feeling the rhythm of knit two, purl one, knit two ... perfect knitting activity for the end of the day when I need something undemanding and kind to my fumbly, tired fingers. And using handpainted sock yarn makes these interesting, because you never can tell by looking at the skein quite how it will look when knitted up.

I am making several pairs of these as Christmas gifts and some for myself because I like warm hands in winter. I make them as straightforward tubes but because they are knitted flat and seamed at the end it is easy to leave a gap for your thumb if you prefer them that way.

If you want to make a pair, here's how:

 

Wristwarmer Recipe:

Using 2.75mm needles and a nice handpainted sock yarn, cast on 53 stitches 

(I used a cable cast on because it stretches well)

(if you want to knit them in the round only cast on 51 stitches, don't work the last 2 stitches from each row and just repeat row 1 for each round)

Row 1: (K2, P1) 17 times, K2

Row 2: (P2, K1) 17 times, P2

repeat these two rows until you have the length you require (I settled on just over 6 inches / 16cms)

then cast off loosely in pattern (I went up to 3mm needles for the cast off row).

Close the seam using mattress stitch by alternating between picking up the bar between the first and second stitch and then the one between the last two stitches (there's a good mattress stitch tutorial here). Like I said you can leave a gap for your thumb in the seam if you prefer.

After seaming add a crochet border to the top:

Using a contrasting yarn and 2.75mm hook, slip stitch into the top of the seam

Round 1: chain 2, then single crochet into each of the cast off stitches until you are back to your start point, slip stitch into the 2nd chain stitch to finish that round

Round 2: chain 3, then double crochet into each of the stitches from the row below, until you are back to your start point, slip stitch into the 3rd chain stitch to finish that round

Round 3: chain 2, then single crochet into each of the stitches from the row below, until you are back to your start point, slip stitch into the 2nd chain stitch to finish that round. Cut work from the yarn and sew in ends along the side seam.

Wear or give.

 

I also made  a pair in worsted yarn (the green ones with the light blue trim) and these were knitted on 3.25mm needles and I cast on 44 stitches. I also made them longer (around 8 inches) to go under three-quarter sleeved jumpers.

 

 

Knitting things to keep you warm sounds like a good thing to be doing right now - it's due to get frosty by the end of the week and the long range weather forecast sounds rather grim with some forecasters saying we're in for the worst winter in a hundred years. That sounds very ominous and I do hope they've got it wrong - keep warm where you are x

 

a finished misty afghan

During the darker, colder evenings of last week I managed to finish off the misty afghan.

 

If I'm honest I am a bit previous in saying 'finish off' because I'm ignoring the fact that there are still lots of ends to sew in on the back. From the front it looks finished though...

 

I'm really pleased with how this has turned out and it's my favourite blanket so far. I love the muted colours and I'm enjoying looking at it draped over the sofa or on the bed.

 

I'd definitely make another blanket in Cascade 220 - it's a nice yarn to work in and is very reasonably priced which is a good thing considering how much you get through when blanket making. I want to take a picture of the whole thing but I need to hang it up somewhere outside and it's just been too damp and dull to get any decent pictures. I'll keep trying and will post any new pics on my ravelry project page.

 

Thanks for coming back to visit despite a longish break from me (again!) and thanks too to those who have emailed me and asked about Toby. At the moment I am being reminded that he finds life harder in the winter months than the summer ones. He has hardly been out in the garden at all during this last month, disliking the feel of wet surfaces and finding the ground too cold beneath his feet (he simply won't wear shoes to go in the garden - in his mind those are what you put on to go out of the front door not the back door). It will probably be spring before we hear the squeak of the swing ropes or the creak of the trampoline springs again.

Without his garden playtime Toby gets more easily agitated and frustrated and no doubt very bored at home and because he has no interests it takes full time adult intervention to keep him busy. Keeping him occupied him is the only way to limit his repetitive stimming behaviours which include hand-biting, strange hand movements, banging his chin, pacing or moving around the room with a skip and making repetitive moaning or clicking noises. These bouts of stimming can last hours or even a whole day if he is not distracted and they can be hard to live with and make it impossible for anyone to relax. So much more of my time is currently taken in being with things like playing tickles. Toby loves the anticipation of being tickled though you do have to watch out because he can suddenly switch to being very upset or aggressive if the stimulation becomes to much for him. The other reliable way to keep him busy is a bubble bath and he'll happily have 4 baths a day, playing in there for half an hour at a time. It's a great way to keep him occupied and is good for me too because I can sit and knit while watching over him.

We are still getting our 6 hours a week of respite though it is becoming harder to get it allocated at weekends and school holidays as the facility where he goes is now full and the demand for prime slots is fierce. It is frustrating and depressing to be forced into taking respite time after school (when it has far less of a positive impact for us) but as in everything you have to find the energy to fight for what you need and I will keep on fighting. Luckily whilst Toby is at school life is calmer and more relaxed and I knit virtually constantly as it's a great antidote to the full on activity that starts when he arrives back home at 4pm.

Anyway, that's us at the moment. I'll pop back soon and show you some of the wristwarmers that I've been making with all of the sock yarn that I couldn't resist buying recently um, have had for ages (incase H is reading this because he thinks I need help with my yarn addiction but I know I'm not the only one who finds it to tempting to resist!) *waving hello* to all you fellow yarn stashers out there xxx

 

autumn attire (part 2)

Thanks to everyone for visiting despite my absence over the last couple of weeks and for welcoming me back with your kind comments. Like I said there has been a lot of knitty stuff going on here in between family stuff and lots of it is autumny in feel. Unlike the sweater in the last post, this autumn attire is of the tiny kind (though if I had the patience I'd love to make myself a full-sized one). These dresses were really enjoyable to knit with their leaf motif adapted from a traditional Finnish design and I couldn't resist pinning them on a line like before - it's too hard to pass up the chance to play with those little clothes pegs again.

 

Later this week I'm hoping to pop these on the animals that I'm now finishing off and get them ready to list in my shop. I'm a bit behind schedule because today autumn feels like she's bowing out to winter, there is frost on the rooftops and a chill in the air.

 

As soon as they're ready I'll update facebook and send emails to the mailing list. If you'd like me to add you to the mailing list please leave a comment below (but be sure to include your email especially if you comment via a typepad account which doesn't always give me a way of getting in touch with you). Thanks x

autumn attire

Hello again. It's been too long, how are things with you?

Here life has been meandering along full of the usual stuff, infact it has been a bit more full than usual owing to the half term school break last week, which accounts for my absence. Amy was in a play at the local theatre which kept her busy for most of the week and I kept Toby occupied with lots of walks in the woods. I took my camera each time because the trees are at their most beautifully autumnal right now but Toby doesn't like to stand still when out on a walk so I just ended up carrying it and not actually taking any pictures.

There was even some knitting, but there is no point in attempting complicated stitch patterns or fiddly shaping because all of that needs more concentration than Toby allows me and I end up making lots of mistakes, so when he's around it has to be simple knitting. Over the half term break I mostly worked on the shalom jumper, which is a lovely straightforward project.

 

Although I truly dislike knitting in the round on small items like gloves etc I do quite like it on something as big as a jumper and because of the thick weight wool and 6mm needles this jumper grew at a pleasing rate. Finishing it off has come at the right time too because the temperature has now dropped and it's definitely jumper wearing weather! 

 

Now the children are back at school so I can concentrate on more complicated knitterly things. I'm sewing faces today and putting the finishing touches to the batch of autumn inspired animals. I'm also sticking pins in my little hedgehog pincushions and have made some autumn leaf toppers from shrinkle sheets to finish them off.

 

 

I'll be back soon with some pictures of the animals and hopefully a picture of the finished misty afghan because I'm working on the final round of the border now - there's lots of woolly play going on here! Thanks for stopping by x